Shirt folding machine



Dec. 15, 1964 KAI M. LEW 3,161,333

SHIRT FOLDING MACHINE Filed Jan. 28, 1964 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. M/ M 4571 BY WWW Dec. 15, 1964 KAl M. LEW

SHIRT FOLDING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 28. 1964 INVENTOR. Ai A/ M 0514/ ATF'OZA EYS Dec. 15, 1964 KAl M. LEW 3,161,333

SHIRT FOLDING MACHINE Filed Jan. 28. 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 9

INVENTOR. 144/ M Zfh/ BY Mafim United States Patent 3,161,333 SHEET FOLDXNG MACHTNE Kai M. Lew, Emerson, N41, assignor to Ametelr, Inc, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Earn. 28, 1964, Ser. No. 340,771 Claims. (til. 223-37) The present invention relates generall to laundry equipment and specifically to an improvement in a machine for folding mens shirts.

In todays high speed and efficient laundry operations, it is well known to utilize automatic and semi-automatic equipment for various stages in the laundering process. The present invention specifically concerns the final step in the laundering process for mens shirts, the folding of the washed and ironed shirt into a compact package. A number of shirt folding machines are known in the prior art and, merely by way of example, reference is made to U.S. Patent No. 3,057,133 to Gayring et al. for an illustration of one of those machines.

Such machines have been quite successful and have become an industry standard for highly efficient equipment for folding mens dress and sport shirts. Generally, these machines function by automatically folding the two long sleeves of the shirt inwardly over the back of the shirt, folding each side edge of the shirt body inwardly, and then tucking the tail of the shirt upwardly to complete the folding process. Although the machines of this nature have worked with general satisfaction for long sleeve shirts, the folding of short sleeve shirts presents some diff.- culty. Spring clips on the arms that fold the sleeves are utilized to hold the short sleeves of the shirt during the folding operations. Whereas with long sleeved shirts, the sleeves drape themselves over the folding arms and are long enough so that the folding arms hold the sleeves against the body of the shirt during the folding operations, short sleeves produced great difficulty in holding the shirt in position and, at the same time, folding the body of the shirt into proper shape. Although the use of spring clips has enabled conventional folding machines to be used for folding short sleeved shirts, the results have not been completely satisfactory. Therefore, it is desirable to have a shirt folding machine which may be utilized for both long and short sleeved shirts without the requirement for special attachments for use with one type of shirt or the other.

Acordingly, it is an object of the present invention to eliminate the foregoing disadvantages and specifically it is an object to improve existing shirt folding machines by making them more universally applicable both to long and short sleeved shirts.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a shirt folding machine which, without the requirement for external clips or otherwise will satisfactorily fold both short sleeve and long sleeve shirts.

It is still further within the contemplation of the present invention to provide a new universal shirt folding arm for shirt folding machines.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an improvement in a shirt folding machine of the type having a shirt body folding blade movable downwardy on to a shirt table, and a pair of outer shirt folding arms movably mounted for folding shirt arms inwardly on to the upper surface of the blade. The improvement comprises a pair of bifurcated inner folding arms mounted on the machine, one on each side of the folding blade. The arms each have a first arm section which is parallel to the side edges of the folding blade for folding long sleeved shirts and a second arm section at a small angle to the first arm section for folding the sleeves of short sleeved shirts. Means are provided to mount the bifurcated arms for swinging movement between a loading position whereice in the arms are spaced from the respective side edges of the blade and a folded position wherein the first arm sections are immediately adjacent to and overlying the respective opposite side edges of the folding blade and the second arm sections overlie the folding blade between the side edges such that the paths of travel of the arms from the loading to the folded position cross over each other. The crossing over of the bifurcated arms is effective to fold the side edges of the shirt body -over each other. The second arm sections of the bifurcated arms are oriented in the loading position to partially fold the short sleeves of a shirt with a small portion of the short sleeves extending inwardly beneath the folding blade and being oriented in the folded position to bring the partially folded sleeves into fully folded position, the first arm sections being oriented in a loading and folding position to receive and fold the sleeves or long sleeved shirts.

The above brief description of the invention, as well as further aspects and advantages of the present invention, will be best appreciated by reference to the following detailed description when taken into conjunction with the acompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the rear of a shirt folded in a machine according to the present invention, with portions shown in phantom lines;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of one of the bifurcated inner folding arms in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 3 through 7 are partially perspective and diagrammatic views of a folding machine, viewed from above, showing the operation of the machine as improved according to the present invention in a step-by-step pro gression. Specifically:

FIG. 3 is a view of a shirt folding machine having the improved bifurcated arms according to the present in vention with a short sleeved shirt positioned upon the folding table, front down, with the short sleeves engaged between the first and second arm sections of the bifurcated arms;

FIG. 4 is a partial figure similar to FIG. 1 showing the portion of short sleeves folded inwardly onto the back of the shirt body;

FIG. 5 is a partial view similar to FIG. 2 showing the folding blade having been lowered downwardly on to the back of the shirt body and engaging the ends of the short sleeves;

FIG. 6 is a further view similar to FIG. 5 illustrating the outer arms having been swung inwardly into engagement with the folding blade;

FIG. 7 is a partial view similar to FIG. 1 showing the first one of the bifurcated arms being folded inwardly to fold the short sleeve and body of the shirt and illustrating, by means of an arrow, the movement of the second bifurcated arm to complete the folding of the short sleeve shirt. Actually, both arms move together with one arm somewhat in advance of the other, but for purposes of clarity of illustration, one arm is shown in the loading position and the other in the folded position.

FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 are similar to FIGS. 3 through 7, however, the machine is shown folding a long sleeved shirt, specifically:

FIG. 8 is an illustration similar to FIG. 1 and shows a long sleeved shirt on the machine;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to that shown in FIG. 6 showing the outer folding arms moved to their folded position; and

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 7 showing one of the inner bifurcated arms in it's folded position and the other in its loading position.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a mans shirt, generally designated by the numeral 10, in the configuration as folded by the machine according to the invention. Although the general pattern of the folding of such fold 14 at the righthand edge (when viewed from the rear) adjacent the righthand sleeve 15 and a second side fold 16 at the lefthand edge adjacent the left sleeve v17 (not seen in FIG. 1) of the shirt 10. The tails 18 of the shirt are folded upwardly and against the inwardly folded sides of the shirt. As will be seen, the co1npletely folded shirt is slightly wider than the collar 12 with a portion of the shirt body and all of the sleeves of the shirt being folded inwardly and rearwardly against the back of the central portion of the shirt. The. shirt 10, and the foregoing description of the folded shirt, may be considered to be either a long sleeved or a short sleeved shirt. I

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 3 through 7'for the description of thefolding operations according to the present invention. As seen in FIG. 3, the ironed but unfolded shirt (short sleeved) is placed on the shirt folding machine, generally designated herein by the folding machineZG, reference will be made to FIG. 2

for a specific description of the structure of the bifurcated folded arms. Although FIG; 2 illustrates the bifurcated arm 36, it will be appreciated that the arm 38 is identical except that it is a mirror image of the arm 36. The body of the arm itself is made, in this illustrative embodiment, from a flat sheet of metal and has a first arm section 36a and a second arm section 36b numeral 20. Specifically, the shirt 10 is placed front-face down on a folding table 22 with its COliEll'lZ received within aconventional collar shaper 24. As may be seen in the drawing of FIG. 3, the machine is provided with a pair of outer folding arms 26, 28 which are mounted on crank arms 30, 32, respectively, which, in turn, are pivotally mounted, at 30a and 320, on a crank arm support 34. The arm 26 has a first part 2611 and a second part 26!) as is known in the art. In accordance with the prior art, the outer arms 26, 28 are movable from a loading position to a folded position. In the loading position, the crank arms 30, 32 extend vertically downwardly from their pivotal connections such that the arms themselves 26, 28 extend parallel to the side of the-folding table34 and are positioned therebelow. The two arms 26, 28 are then swung upwardly and cross over eachother to carry the sleeves of a long sleeve shirt upwardly and across each other over the back of the shirt 10.

In accordance with the present invention, there is also provided a pair of inner, bifurcated folding arms, generally designated by the numerals 36 38, which are mounted on crank arms 40, 42 respectively, which in turn are pivoted at 40a and 42a on the crank arm support 34. 7 By means of pivotalmounts 4th: and 42a, the inner folding arms 36, 38 are mounted for pivotal movement from the loading position shown in FIG. 3 at the attachment means for the mechanical securement of the arm 40 to the internal machinery of the shirt folding machine 24 As may be best seen in FIGS. 3 and 8, the arm 36 is'positioned, withrespect to the table 22 of the smrt folding machine 20- such that the first arm section 36a is parallel to the central axis of the shirt folding table 22 and, when the arm 36 is in the loading position, is positioned sucli that it engages/the shirt slightly beyond the side edges of the shirt body. In the loading position, the second arm section 36b of the bifurcated arm extends inwardly from the first arm section 36a and (seeEiG. 3) is positioneddsuch that a sleeve of a short sleeve shirt may be threaded under the second arm section 3611 and over the first arm section 36a.

Description will now be made of the folding of a shirt it! on the shirt folding machine 20, with reference being pressed shirt and placed it front downon the table 22 with the collar 12 in engagement with the collar shaper 24. If the shirt is a long sleeve shirt (see FIG. 8), the

I sleeves15,17 are allowed to hang off the edges ofthe edge of the folding table 22 to a folded position with v the inner folding arms 36, 33 rotated inwardly (see FIG. 7).

are used to actuate rack and pinion gear arrangements to swing the crank arms from their loading to their folded positions in a timed cyclical pattern, as will be described below. I

'In addition to these structures, there is also provided a shirt body folding blade, generally designated by the numeral 48, which is mounted at pivot onthe crank arm support 34 for movement from a raised position above the table 22 into a lowered folding position against the table 22. Control means are provided for the folding blade 48 such that it is moved downwardly to hold a shirt against the table 22 at the beginning of a folding operation and such that it is moved upwardly at the completion of the folding operation.

The outer folded arms 26, 28 and the inner bifurcated arms 36, 38, are moved through the folding table 22 below the bifurcated folding arms :38. The sleeves of such a, long'sleeve shirt are picked up as will be explained below by the outer folding arms 26, 28

and arecarried upwardly and folded around the bifur cated inner folding arms 36, 38. However, with the sleeves of the customary short sleeve shirt, the sleeves do not extend downwardly far enough to be engaged by the outer folding arms 26, 28. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the operator places the sleeves 15, 17 into the cleft portions 360, 38:: of the inner folding arms 36, 38, below the second arm sections 36b, 38b and over the first arm sections 36a, 38a; The operator then flips the sleeves 15, 17 inwardly, as shown in FIG. 4, such that they are folded overithe second arm sections 36b, and 38b and against the back of the shirt 10. As best seen in FIG. 4, the second arm sections 36b, 3812 form a tapered fold line for the sleeves inwardly of the first arm portions 36a 38a.

After a shint has been loaded into the machine 20, the

' operator starts the automatic operations of the machine,

during the folding operations.

as for example, by depressing afoot switch. The shirt body folding blade 48 is moved downwardly about its pivot 50 to engage the back of the shirt 10 against the folding table 22 and sandwich same securely in place As seen in FIG. 5, the ends of the short sleeves 15, '17 of the shirt 10 extend beneath the edges of the folding blade 48 and accordingly are held securely in position by the pressure exerted between the blade 48 and the table 22 thus enabling the subsequent. folding operations tobe accomplished free from any undesired shifting of, position of the body or short sleeve shirts and for long sleeve shirts in the shirt the sleeves of the shirt-10. Immediately uponthe downward movement of the folding blade 48, the outer folding arms 26, 28 are swung upwardly and' cross over'each other to engage themselves against the upwardly facing surface of the folding blade 48. Although these arms perform no function when a short sleeved shirt is folded,

they are effective to fold the long sleeves of a long sleeved shirt as will be seen below. Immediately thereafter, the inner bifurcated folding arms are moved upwardly and inwardly onto the folding blade 48. Specifically, the crank arm 42 is moved about its pivot 42a such that the bifurcated folding arm 38 is rotated upwardly and inwardly through substantially 180. Since the pivot 42a is approximately in line with the edge of the folding blade 48, the engagement of the second portion 38b of the bifurcated arm 38 effectively swings the left sleeve 17 and the lefthand portion of the shirt upwardly and inwardly through a 180 rotation to fold same about the upwardly facing surface of the folding blade 48 with the left sleeve 17 of the shirt securely tucked within the fold. As may be seen by reference to FIG. 1, the fold thus formed, is the fold designated by the numeral 16. As the bifurcated folding arm 38 completes the operation that produces the fold 16, the other bifurcated arm 36 moves upwardly and inwardly as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 7 to form the fold line 14 wherein the right-hand portion of the shirt and the righthand sleeve 15 are folded inwardly over the back of the lefthand portion of the shirt and the lefthand sleeve 17. Although FIG. 7 shows th arm 38 in its folded position and the arm 36 in its loading position, both arms actually move together with the arm 38 slightly preceding the arm 36. However, for purposes of simplicity of illustration, PEG. 7 has been drawnwith one arm in the folded position and the other arm in the loading position. After both bifurcated inner arms 36, 33 have reached the folded position, a tailfolding mechanism tucks the tail 18 of the shirt upwardly to complete the folding of the shirt into the configuration shown in PEG. 1.

Referring now to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, it is seen that the folding machine 29, with the universal bifurcated inner folding arms 36, 38 may be employed to fold a long sleeved shirt as well as a short sleeved shirt. Specifically, the first arm sections and 33a of the bifurcated arms 36, 38 function in a manner identical to the arms which have been heretofore employed as the inner folding arms. Specifically, in prior constructions, the inner folding arms were formed from a simple metal tubing much like the outer arms 2d, 28 illustrated herein and were positioned in substantially the same location as the first arm sections 36a, 38a of the respective bifurcated inner folding arms. Accordingly, the first arms sections 36a, 38a function in the same manner as the prior art arms for the folding of a long sleeve shirt as will be described below.

A long sleeved shirt 16 is positioned in the folding machine Zti by placing the shirt, front down on the table 22 with the collar engaged with the collar shaper 2 3- (see FIG. 8). Each of the sleeves 15a, 17a is allowed to hang downwardly over the sides of the folding table 22 below both the first and second arm sections of the respective bifurcated arms 36, 38. Upon the initiation of the folding cycle by the operator, the shirt body folding blade 48 moves downwardly to clamp the shirt against the table top and the outer arms 26, 28 move through a 270 rotation from their loading position below the table to their folded position against the upwardly facing surface of the folding blade 48 into the position shown in FIG. 9. It will be noted that the arm 26 has two folding members 26a, 26b which fold the full length of the sleeve 15a over the back of the shirt a while the outer arm 28, having only one folding member, folds the sleeve 17a in half and then against the back of the shirt body. This process is effective to fold the long sleeves of the shirt against the back of the shirt and onto the upwardly facing surface of the folding blade 48 as seen in FIG. 9. Thereafter, the inner folding arms 36, 33 move in exactly the same manner as described in connection with FIGS. 5 and 6 above and effectively fold first the lefthand side of the shirt 10a and then the righthand side of the shirt about the folding blade 48 to create the two side fold lines 14, 16.

Rather than having the second arm portion 36b, 38b carry the sides of the shirts inwardly through the folding operation as was the case with the short sleeved shirt 10, it will be appreciated that it is the first arm sections 36a, 38.1 which perform this function. At the completion of the side folding operations, a conventional tail folding mechanism is operative to fold the tail of the shirt upwardly over the back of the shirt to complete the folding operations.

It will be appreciated that a shirt folding machine incorporating a folding arm according to the present invention greatly enhances the applicability of the shirt folding machine to the general problems associated with a shirt laundry. Specifically, the invention according to the present invention allows the shirt folding machine to be used with any type of shirt, long sleeved or short sleeved, without the requirement for any external devices, spring clips or any other such secondary aids. Accordingly, a shirt operator may take one shirt at a time from a pile of pressed laundry, apply it to the machine without preselecting first long sleeved shirts then short sleeved shirts and without tediously clipping the short sleeves of the shirt to the heretofore required spring clips. It will he therefore appreciated that the present invention eliminates an existing failing in shirt folding machines, and by an extremely simple solution, enables those machines to perform an efficient folding operation on all types of mens shirts.

Although the foregoing disclosure illustrates and describes only one preferred embodiment of the present invention, it should be appreciated that variations departing from the specific structure shown may be utilized without departing from the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims should not be limited to the specific design illustrated herein but should be interpreted broadly in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

l. In a shirt folding machine of the type having a shirt folding surface, the improvement comprising a pair of bifurcated inner shirt folding arms, each of said bifurcated arms having a first arm section for folding long sleeved shirts and a second arm section adjacent said first arm section for folding short sleeved shirts, means mounting said bifurcated arms for swinging movement between a loading position with said bifurcated arms spaced from each other and a folded position with said bifurcated arms immediately adjacent each other, the paths of movement of said bifurcated arms crossing each other, said second arm sections spaced inwardly of said first arm sections, when said bifurcated arms are in the loading position, for partially folding short sleeves of a shirt and being spaced inwardly of said first arm sections in said folded position but on reversed sides of said shirt folding machine for bringing the partially folded sleeves into a fully folded position, said first arm sections in said loading and folded positions receiving and folding long sleeves of a long sleeved shirt placed on said shirt folding machine.

2. In a shirt folding machine of the type having a folding table, a shirt body folding blade having side edges and mounted for movement from above said table downwardly toward said table to sandwich a portion of a shirt therebetween, a pair of outer, shirt-folding arms movably mounted for folding shirt arms inwardly onto the upper surface of said shirt folding blade, the improvement comprising a pair of bifurcated inner shirt folding arms, one on each side of said blade, and each having a first arm section for folding long sleeved shirts and a second arm section adjacent to said first arm section for folding short sleeve shirts, means mounting said bifurcated arms for swinging movement between a loading position spaced from the respective side edges of said blade and with said second arm sections extending inwardly of said first arm sections, and a folded position with said first arm sections 1? l adjacent the respective opposite side edges of said blade and said second arm sections'inwardly of said respective opposite side edges, said second arm sections being oriented when said bifurcated arms are in the loading position to partially fold short sleeves of a shirt, and being oriented in said folded position to bring the partially folded sleeves into a full folded position, said first arm sections being oriented in said loading and folded positions toreceive and fold long sleeves of a shirt placed on said shirt folding machine. I a

3. In a shirt folding machine of the typehaving a fold ing table, a shirt body folding blade having parallel side edges mounted for movement from above said tabledownwardly toward said table to sandwich a portion of a shirt therebctween, the improvement comprising a pair of sections immediately adjacent the respective opposite side edges of said blade and said second arm sections inwardly bifurcated inner'shirt folding arm's, one on each side of said folding blade, and each having a first arm section parallel to the side edges of said blade forfolding long sleeved shirts and a second arm section at an angle to said first arm section for folding short sleeved shirts, means mounting said bifurcated arms for swinging movement 7 between aloading position removed from said folding blade and spaced from the respective side edges of said blade and with the first arm sections parallel to the respective side edges of said blade and the second arm sections inwardly of said first arm sections, and a folded position superimposed above said folding blade with said first arm sections immediately adjacent and overlying the respective oppoiste side edges of said blade and said second arm sections inwardly'of said respective opposite side edges and overlying said blade, said second arm sections being oriented, when said bifurcated arms are in the loading position, to partially fold short sleeves of a shirt. with the ends of said sleeves extending inwardly beneath said blade and being oriented in said folded position to bring the partially folded sleeves and the adjacent side of the shirt into a fully folded position with the folded sleeves and shirt equal in width to the width of said blade, said first arm sections being oriented in said loading and folded positionsto receive and fold long-sleeves of a shirt placed on said shirt folding machine. c

4. In a shirt folding machine of the type having a fold ing table, a shirt body folding blade having side edges mounted for movement from above said table downwardly toward said table to sandwich a portion'of a shirt therebetween, and a pair of outer, shirt-folding arms movably mounted for folding shirt arms inwardly onto the upper surface of said shirt folding blade, the improvement comprising a pair of bifurcated inner shirt folding arms, one on each side of said folding blade, and each having a first arm section parallel to each other for folding long sleeved shirts and a second arm section at an.

angle to said first arm section for folding short sleeved shirts, means mounting said bifurcated arms for swinging movement between a loading position removed from said folding blade and spaced from the respective side edges of said blade and with the second arm sections positioned inwardly of said first arm sections, and a folded position 7 blade, said second arm sections being oriented, when said bifurcated arms are in the loading position, to partially fold short sleeves of a shirt with the ends of said sleeves extending inwardly beneath said blade and being-oriented in said folded position to bring the partially folded sleeves and the adjacent side of the shirt into a fully folded position, with the folded sleeves and shirt equal in width to the width of said blade, said first arm sections being oriented in said loading and folded positions to receive and fold long sleeves of a shirt placed on said shirt folding machine. i v c 5. In a shirt folding machine of the type having a folding table, a shirt body folding blade having parallel side edges mounted for movement from above said'table downwardly toward said table to sandwich a portion of a shirt therebetween, and a pair of outer, shirt-folding arms movably mounted for'folding shirt arms inwardly onto the upper surface of said shirt folding blade, the improvement comprising a pair of bifurcated inner shirt folding arms, one on each'side of said folding blade, and each having a first arm section parallel to the side edges of said blade for folding long sleeved shirts and a second arm section at an angle to'said first arm section for folding short sleeved shirts, means mounting said bifurcated arms for swinging movement between a loading position removed from said folding blade and spaced from the respective side edges of said blade andrwith the first arm sections parallel to the respective side edges of said blade and the second arm sections inwardly of said first arm sections, and a folded position superimposed above said folding blade with said first armsections immediately adjacentand overlying the respective opposite side edges of said blade and said second arm sections inwardly of said respective opposite side edges and overlying said blade, said second arm sections being oriented, when said bifurcated arms are in the loading position, to partially fold short sleeves of a shirt with the ends of said sleeves References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 7 2,610,771 9/52 Calder 22337 2,654,511 11/53 Calder 223-67 3,122,291 2/64 Wittenberg et al 22337 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A SHIRT FOLDING MACHINE OF THE TYPE HAVING A SHIRT FOLDING SURFACE, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A PAIR OF BIFURCATED INNER SHIRT FOLDING ARMS, EACH OF SAID BIFURCATED ARMS HAVING A FIRST ARM SECTION FOR FOLDING LONG SLEEVED SHIRTS AND A SECOND ARM SECTION ADJACENT SAID FIRST ARM SECTION FOR FOLDING SHORT SLEEVED SHIRTS, MEANS MOUNTING SAID BIFURCATED ARMS FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT BETWEEN A LOADING POSITION WITH SAID BIFURCATED ARMS SPACED FROM EACH OTHER AND A FOLDED POSITION WITH SAID BIFURCATED ARMS IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT EACH OTHER, THE PATHS OF MOVEMENT OF SAID BIFURCATED ARMS CROSSING EACH OTHER, SAID SECOND ARM SECTIONS SPACED INWARDLY OF SAID FIRST ARM SECTIONS, WHEN SAID BIFURCATED ARMS ARE IN THE LOADING POSITION, FOR PARTIALLY FOLDING SHORT SLEEVES OF A SHIRT AND BEING SPACED INWARDLY OF SAID FIRST ARM SECTIONS IN SAID 